Film and Future...

[dusken]

Some one recently mentioned to me that movies taking place in the future always seem to have the future looking very drab. Stills for "I, Robot" so far, and look at other movie that take place in the future like "Minority Report", "Blade Runner", the "Alien" trilogy, and others seem to have color and design get really boring in clothing and general building decorations, etc. There is very often a hospital cleanliness and everything looks new or there's a filter on that takes the contrast in the colors out. Plain but high-tech.

I agree with this to and extent and I can think of a couple of possible reasons for this.

I would think about it in terms of creating a story and the motivations for doing so. These stories are all designed to make the audience fear the future to some degree; it seems that is the feeling that creators want to invoke. It's a cinematic standard to make the imagery mimic the feeling that you want someone to have of something. You have to ask yourself, how many movies portraying the future, have a positive, warm outlook as a philosophy? None that come to mind, for me. These are stories that prey on the fear people have of the unknown and the fear of everything they hold vaulable being taken away from them. Such imagery immediately invokes a feeling of loss in its audience.

Maybe film makers should do this: make movies that would normally take place in the present, but make the setting the future. All the things in the present that invoke a feeling of warmth should do so and everything in the present that invokes an uncomfortable feeling should be the same in the future. Why can't a stereotypical highschool drama take place in the future? Identification? Maybe. But isn't that a philosophy to be expressed in itself?

Of course, there is always the other thing: making your scenery as vague and impersonal as possible gives the art a longer life. An example in literature would be a comparison between George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxely's Brave New World. 1984 has a feeling of being dated where B.N.W can be read at anytime and feel like it is the future. That may be a great driving factor in the set design of films that take place in the future. It would prolong its significance to a certain degree.

But that's just my opinion; I could be wrong.

[ckBejug]

Originally posted by dusken Some one recently mentioned to me that movies taking place in the future always seem to have the future looking very drab. Stills for "I, Robot" so far, and look at other movie that take place in the future like "Minority Report", "Blade Runner", the "Alien" trilogy, and others seem to have color and design get really boring in clothing and general building decorations, etc. There is very often a hospital cleanliness and everything looks new or there's a filter on that takes the contrast in the colors out. Plain but high-tech.

I agree with this to and extent and I can think of a couple of possible reasons for this.

I would think about it in terms of creating a story and the motivations for doing so. These stories are all designed to make the audience fear the future to some degree; it seems that is the feeling that creators want to invoke. It's a cinematic standard to make the imagery mimic the feeling that you want someone to have of something. You have to ask yourself, how many movies portraying the future, have a positive, warm outlook as a philosophy? None that come to mind, for me. These are stories that prey on the fear people have of the unknown and the fear of everything they hold vaulable being taken away from them. Such imagery immediately invokes a feeling of loss in its audience.

Maybe film makers should do this: make movies that would normally take place in the present, but make the setting the future. All the things in the present that invoke a feeling of warmth should do so and everything in the present that invokes an uncomfortable feeling should be the same in the future. Why can't a stereotypical highschool drama take place in the future? Identification? Maybe. But isn't that a philosophy to be expressed in itself?

Of course, there is always the other thing: making your scenery as vague and impersonal as possible gives the art a longer life. An example in literature would be a comparison between George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxely's Brave New World. 1984 has a feeling of being dated where B.N.W can be read at anytime and feel like it is the future. That may be a great driving factor in the set design of films that take place in the future. It would prolong its significance to a certain degree.

But that's just my opinion; I could be wrong.

So you hit the nail on the head as to WHY filmmakers that make films about the future use such stark imagry, why would they do anything differently since it obviously seems to be working?

[Anonymouse]

I like this thread in that it got me thinking about the future, and as to why we as humans have trouble conceiving of it, and why it would be odd for filmmakers and writers to do so as well. The "future" does not exist, and neither does the "past." The only thing that really exists is the present, a kind of snapshot of the state of the universe as we perceive it, i.e. consciousness determines reality. But this snapshot includes our memories, the existence of which makes us think that the past existed, and thus gives the illusion that time passes. From this illusion we extrapolate that since time passes, it will continue to pass, and so the future must exist. Thus, the past exists only in our memories, which pretty much define what the past is, which explains why time appears to flow only in one direction i.e., we can't "remember" the future.

[dusken]

Originally posted by ckBejug So you hit the nail on the head as to WHY filmmakers that make films about the future use such stark imagry, why would they do anything differently since it obviously seems to be working?

That depends on how you define working. If you mean making money, then it is applicable to any genre portraying anything. Formula keeps the moronic masses happy. But one can argue that it is getting tired as an artform; that the visual conformity impedes progress.

[dusken]

Originally posted by Anonymouse I like this thread in that it got me thinking about the future, and as to why we as humans have trouble conceiving of it, and why it would be odd for filmmakers and writers to do so as well. The "future" does not exist, and neither does the "past." The only thing that really exists is the present, a kind of snapshot of the state of the universe as we perceive it, i.e. consciousness determines reality. But this snapshot includes our memories, the existence of which makes us think that the past existed, and thus gives the illusion that time passes. From this illusion we extrapolate that since time passes, it will continue to pass, and so the future must exist. Thus, the past exists only in our memories, which pretty much define what the past is, which explains why time appears to flow only in one direction i.e., we can't "remember" the future.

I have two reactions to this:

1. From the perspective of a present time, the progression of the path of time (essentially the future) can be simply seen as a branching out of possibilities, like exponentially increasing forks in roads. The future can, for the sake of art, be constructed by anticipating the forks in the roads and deciding which way an entity in time will travel. That unfortunately, is building future experience from past experience, which is what you pointed out.

2. The present is never perceived. An obvious but unusual thought.

[Darorinag]

and look at other movie that take place in the future like "Minority Report", "Blade Runner", the "Alien" trilogy, and others seem to have color and design get really boring in clothing and general building decorations, etc.
you're kidding me, right? Blade Runner cannot be compared to any of them "future-themed" films... it is one of the finest scifi movies of all time.

And on the contrary, Blade Runner doesn't make me "fear" the future. it gives me a warm feeling inside. i love it. i would love to live in that place and time. it's beautiful. it's inspiring. i dream about it all the time. i'm serious, btw. i have the PC game of Blade Runner. that's how much warmth it gives me. :eek: :D

[dusken]

Originally posted by Darorinag you're kidding me, right? Blade Runner cannot be compared to any of them "future-themed" films... it is one of the finest scifi movies of all time.

And on the contrary, Blade Runner doesn't make me "fear" the future. it gives me a warm feeling inside. i love it. i would love to live in that place and time. it's beautiful. it's inspiring. i dream about it all the time. i'm serious, btw. i have the PC game of Blade Runner. that's how much warmth it gives me. :eek: :D

I am not making a comparison of the quality of the films. I hate "Minority Report" and everything else Speilberg (including his butchering of A.I.) because he is an awful film maker. If you want to discuss quality, the movie "Alien" is definately comparable. And yes "Blade Runner" can be compared to "any of them future-themed films". Anyway, that is beside that point. This is purely about the visual approaches and goals.

Besides, nothing will ever compare to "2001: A Space Oddyssey".

[Darorinag]

You have to ask yourself, how many movies portraying the future, have a positive, warm outlook as a philosophy?
Blade Runner has a mild ending. Don't you think? Think about it, the girl is a replicant... he goes off with her... it goes to show it's not that bad. that there are evil people in all places and times. at least that's my take on it. that is why i love the movie, besides its artistic creativity.

as for why a teenage drama or whatever can't take place in the future... well, it could, but perhaps not in the same way it would right now... times do change... things weren't the same 80 years ago... things won't be the same in the future. who knows. that is exactly the point, and that's when you let your imagination fly. the overrepresentation of evil people or robots in future themed movies is nothing but part of the good/bad dynamic in all movies... i think.. only that it's with a twist of imagination into it. :cool:

[dusken]

Originally posted by Darorinag Blade Runner has a mild ending. Don't you think? Think about it, the girl is a replicant... he goes off with her... it goes to show it's not that bad. that there are evil people in all places and times. at least that's my take on it. that is why i love the movie, besides its artistic creativity.

as for why a teenage drama or whatever can't take place in the future... well, it could, but perhaps not in the same way it would right now... times do change... things weren't the same 80 years ago... things won't be the same in the future. who knows. that is exactly the point, and that's when you let your imagination fly. the overrepresentation of evil people or robots in future themed movies is nothing but part of the good/bad dynamic in all movies... i think.. only that it's with a twist of imagination into it. :cool:


I never mentioned evil or badness among the human race. I think you misunderstood my original post.

[loseyourname]

All of the Star Trek series and the films were very optimistic about the future.

[Darorinag]

Originally posted by dusken I never mentioned evil or badness among the human race. I think you misunderstood my original post.
i think i did, too.. but i'm not sure.. i thought u were talking about ways of representing those.. ? after all, you did talk about how the future was depicted in "fearful" terms or characters.. hmm.. oh well.. :confused:

[jahannam]

Originally posted by dusken

Maybe film makers should do this: make movies that would normally take place in the present, but make the setting the future. All the things in the present that invoke a feeling of warmth should do so and everything in the present that invokes an uncomfortable feeling should be the same in the future. Why can't a stereotypical highschool drama take place in the future? Identification? Maybe. But isn't that a philosophy to be expressed in itself?


interesting thread.
hmmmm...
but what do u mean by the "setting of the future"?
cuz in the beginning of your post you've talked about the plain boring architecture and spacial qualites of those "futures". so somehow I smell contradiction.
secondly, these movies often take place in the very far future, where such understandings as high school or "warm feelings" are going to be very different, if they will exist at all.
so my question is... why do you want today's drama? are you looking to RELATE to this kind of movies?
cuz if theres gonna be today's drama and today's buildings, then what do u think would make a piece of film "set in the future?"

[dusken]

Originally posted by jahannam interesting thread.
hmmmm...
but what do u mean by the "setting of the future"?
cuz in the beginning of your post you've talked about the plain boring architecture and spacial qualites of those "futures". so somehow I smell contradiction.
secondly, these movies often take place in the very far future, where such understandings as high school or "warm feelings" are going to be very different, if they will exist at all.
so my question is... why do you want today's drama? are you looking to RELATE to this kind of movies?
cuz if theres gonna be today's drama and today's buildings, then what do u think would make a piece of film "set in the future?"


I did not say "setting of the future." I think if you reread it you may understand what I mean. The idea of all of this is that, from a production standpoint, films of the future tend to be shot the same way and romantic comedies or teenage dramas tend to be shot different ways. Now as much as I hate the latter two, there has become an expectation that a movie set in the future is going to have a certain visual effect to it. I am not necessarily saying that the architecture itself or the clothes should be the same as they are now but production approach is becoming tiring. A lot of the futuristic films take place between 50 and 70 years into the future. If you go back to the mid thirties you would see that, of course, the technology is at a much earlier stage but the humanity is the same. It seems that films are produced to take that warmth out by focussing on elements that invoke a feeling of detachment. Is it a guarantee that we will no longer have forests or theme parks or comedy clubs or art or passions or people whistling as they walk? I don't think so. I am not saying it's wrong; I am only saying that the reduction that takes place is a tired attitude.

[whitelotus]

yes i agree, many film makers tend to show the future as being very boring as in sleek lines, abstract shapes, clean cutt everything. Either boring colors or the opposite- very vibrant colors.

but i guess everyones idea of the future is different.
Some think of it as getting more simple as in the tools we use, the way we do things, get easier because technology advances. But i tend to think the future gets even more difficult because problems in society and the world in general are getting more complicated then they were in the stone age. I think as technology and humans advance, so do all the problems and tasks we have to do in the future.

why cant we all just live in the moment, instead of making films on the future. we arent happy with what we have now, we strive to step into the future or to predict it too much. Just injoy your lives now and the beautiful things you see around you now.

[Darorinag]

ok, let me spill my views on Blade Runner and why I think it's a great "future" / sci fi movie.

I think it's great because it preserves the very basic element that seems to be greatly lacking in "alien" movies - human beings. perhaps the main character is a human being, but the interaction is mainly between a specific human being and some other creatures, rather than human-human and/or human-creature and/or creature-creature. Blade Runner shows all three, packed in one. It shows the relationships (well, not in a heterosexual sense of the term) between human beings, the relationships between humans and replicants, and the relationship between replicants themselves. And I think that's what makes it a great movie, in addition to its thematic proposition that replicants are not always evil (Rachel).